Kentucky’s Ohio County welcomes $30m distillery

Western Kentucky Distilling Co has opened a US$30 million ‘state-of-the-art’ Bourbon and rye whiskey distillery in the US state.

Western Kentucky Distilling Co first revealed plans to build the facility in November 2022, marking the first official distillery in Ohio County, Kentucky.

Kentuckian and eight-generation distiller Jacob Call will lead the distillery as chief operating officer and master distiller. He will work alongside Kentucky native and distillery president JD Edwards.

“It’s a proud moment for our team at Western Kentucky Distilling Co as we open the doors and start making Kentucky Bourbon and rye whiskey within our walls,” said Call.

The development will focus on contract distilling initially, before embarking on creating its own signature brands and a visitor centre in the future.

The distillery is located at 1880 Old Liberty Church Road in Beaver Dam, Kentucky, in the Bluegrass Crossings Business Center.

The facility will span 25,000 square feet. It will include 15 warehouses, which will cover an extra 300,000sqft.

The site will be able to distil 50,000 barrels annually and will have room to store 250,000 barrels.

All cooking, fermenting and distilling equipment has been purchased in Kentucky, including a Vendome 36-inch copper still. The facility also plans to use locally grown Kentucky corn.

The project has created 25 jobs to date, with 35 full-time positions in total to be created as production increases.

“Kentucky whiskey has a rich history in our state, and it’s an honour for our distillery to become part of that legacy,” Call added. “As the first official distillery in Ohio County since Prohibition, we’re excited to be part of the community and bring jobs to the region.”

The state is also set to welcome a new distillery from the team behind Bardstown Bourbon Company,

The US$350m project, called Whiskey House, will focus entirely on large-scale, flexible, contract whiskey production.